Rising Guelph user fees will hurt local events, organizer alleges

Guelph Mercury

GUELPH -- Increasing municipal user fees could put community events in jeopardy, the president of the Guelph and District Multicultural Festival alleges.

"If user fees from the City continue to rise, the Multicultural Festival and other non-profit events in Guelph may not be able to continue," Delfino Callegari wrote to city councillors earlier this month.

Writing on behalf of the festival's board of directors, Callegari asked council to "remove all operational/user fees for community events like ours."

In an interview on the weekend, Callegari said festival officials are specifically concerned about a new fee of $50 per mobile sign placed on city property, an anticipated increase in hydro fees for users of Riverside Park and a fee for city workers to move picnic tables.

"Previously we never paid anybody," Callegari said. "Now everything we need we have to pay for it.

"We've never done that before ever."

The multicultural festival has been held in Guelph for 26 years, and for the past 16 years has been at Riverside Park.

Callegari said late last month a meeting was held between city staff and representatives of local community events.

"At this meeting, issues were raised about the implementation of new fees associated with park usage and the increase across the board of existing fees," Callegari later wrote to council. "Many in attendance were upset by the apparent lack of support from the city."

During the interview, Callegari stressed the city does offer financial assistance to the festival. But he said given the community nature of the event it is surprising organizers are being asked to pay more money.

"It's a community event so why (do) we have to pay an extra fee?" he asked. "The city should be helping us and be happy to have something to bring the community together.